The present invention relates to a reinforcing yarn and fabric having high abrasion resistance made therewith. The abrasion resistance enabled with the yarn of the invention is particularly useful in socks, the knees of pants and the elbows of shirts.
Since the tendency to develop holes during wear is particularly troublesome with socks, the invention will be described with particular reference to socks.
Socks are typically subjected to the greatest wear in the heel and toe regions. Consequently, to improve the wear life of socks, manufacturers have incorporated reinforcement in the heel and toe regions. Toe and heel reinforcements have frequently been used in socks made of cotton, wool and acrylic, or blends thereof, with the most common method being to incorporate a reinforcing yarn by knitting it into the sock in alternating courses with the body yarn of the sock, or, alternatively, plaiting the reinforcing yarn on the main/primary yarn of the sock.
While prior efforts to produce more durable socks using reinforcing yarn as aforedescribed have increased their abrasion resistance, they have not been entirely successful inasmuch as it is still commonplace for socks to wear through in the heel or toe when the remainder of the sock is still in a wearable condition. Efforts to produce socks having improved wear performance have recently focused on the incorporation of para-aramid fibers into sock yarn, to improve abrasion and cut-resistance. An example of such an attempt is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,918,912. The blended fiber spun yarn described in this patent is said to exhibit a surprising combination of abrasion and cut-resistance. However, para-aramid fiber is considerably more expensive than conventional sock fibers, so any superior results achieved through the use of para-aramid fiber is presumed to come with a price disadvantage.